Percy Childs - a quiet ambassador.

Sometimes an apparently trivial incident can change your life - provided you are the sort of person willing to put yourself out to help others.

Photo of Percy Childs and Miette Verlinden.
Percy with his friend, Miette Verlinden,
Festivals Patronage officer of UNICA
the world organisation for amateur movie makers..

Percy Childs is an old friend from my years as BFFS General Secretary. He used to serve on the Viewing Panel which met weekly to review new films and recommend those that might be of interest to film saocieties. . His contacts in Poland asked him to find some UK entries for the FAZY Amateur Film Festival in 1984. I put him on to Bernard Ashby who was then Film Librarian of IAC (the Film & Video Institute) and thus began an association with the British amateur film makers which has kept Percy busily attending amateur movie festivals all over Europe for the last 17 years.

When he attended the bi-ennial IDAF Festival at Duisburg, he says:

They have always had the advantage of a really super venue - a 200-ish seater in a pedestrianised old-town square, with a bar and coffee-lounge below, tables outside in the summer, and sandwiched between two pub-restaurants. Projection and presentation always immaculate in timing, picture, and sound. The first year I went there I met the then president of the BDFA, who in a very nice way grilled me "Why is Great Britain not in UNICA?".

How the situation has changed! Britain isnow back in UNICA and doing well in its annual festival. For more on UNICA see its website: http://unica-web.com For more on the UK amateur film making scene see www.theiac.org.uk.

Percy's activities are two-way. He spots interesting work at other festivals and encourages makers to enter them in UK competitions. He reports:

On my return the last awaited films from Russia and Poland had arrived, so I was frantically packing last night, and have today posted my five 'on behalf' entries to the British International Amateur Film Festival, hoping they will scrape in before the shutter falls. A bumper bundle this year, most of which I caught at Duisburg.

If there is a moral to this tale it is: "Seize the day!" Percy has travelled all over Europe, made many good friends and encouraged moviemakers to send their work to other lands.

If you are interested in amateur movie making take a look at IAC Online.